Astoria, Featured, Sports
Jun 12, 2014
Where to Watch the World Cup in Astoria and LIC
Yesterday we brought you several suggestions from Dan Rich for watching the World Cup in Astoria, which starts today at 4 p.m. with a hot match between Brazil and Croatia, (…)
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Yesterday we brought you several suggestions from Dan Rich for watching the World Cup in Astoria, which starts today at 4 p.m. with a hot match between Brazil and Croatia, (…)
by Meg Cotner
Yesterday we brought you several suggestions from Dan Rich for watching the World Cup in Astoria, which starts today at 4 p.m. with a hot match between Brazil and Croatia, two communities well established here in Astoria. There are a number of places in the neighborhood at which to watch the World Cup, so check it out! Big thanks go to Eat the World and Roads & Kingdoms for their amazing coverage on NYC-wide places to watch the tournament. Eat the World also put together this awesome map of places to see the World Cup throughout the 5 boroughs.
First, here are a the places we think will appeal to a wide range of soccer fans. They are, in general, bigger spaces that serve many different communities in Astoria.
Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden. They’ll be open for all World Cup matches, with TVs both inside at the bar and outside in the garden. As Dan says, the authentic beer and food adds a great element to the whole experience. 29-19 24th Ave., Astoria
Bowery Bay and their neighbor Astoria Beer & Brew. They’ll be showing all World Cup matches. 19-33 Ditmars Blvd., Astoria
The Burger Garage. “Come on over and grab a burger and a pint and watch the matches!!” 25-36 Jackson Ave., Long Island City
El Ay Si. “All the WORLD CUP games will be shown on our 6 foot screen with full sound!!!” 47-38 Vernon Blvd, Long Island City
El Basurero. Although it is a Colombian restaurant they have a lot of Brazilian customers, so today’s game should be particularly raucous there. They plan to show all the World Cup Matches and everyone is welcome. No indication of food/drink specials, but the place is totally decked out in soccer decorations (the flags outside are very eye-catching), so this will no doubt be an extremely lively place to watch the World Cup. 32-17 Steinway St, Astoria
Flo. They have four big TV’s plus a 120″ screen. They’ll be offering $6 drink specials on wines, mojitos, margaritas and beers. 37-20 30th Ave., Astoria
Katch. They’ll be open for all World Cup matches (they have 60 TVs in there) and will have food and drink specials “to boot.” Thursday they’ll have live Brazilian music by Samba Novo. On June 14 for the Greece-Colombia match DJ Angela Pandelis will be on hand and there will be a broadcast live from Hellas FM. 31-19 Newtown Ave., Astoria
La Rioja. “Come and enjoy watching all the official games of the FIFA World Cup 2014, at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 12, on a big screen with wine, good sangria and delicious tapas.” The sangria really is good, and the bacon-wrapped dates are a good snacky choice. 33-05 Broadway, Astoria
Marketa. They’ll be showing all World Cup matches with accompanying food and drink specials. 37-17 30th Ave., Astoria
Max Bautwurst. They have “huge flat screens” on which to watch the World Cup, and specials include half liter drafts for $5 and liter drafts for $10. Anyone in a German soccer jersey gets a free beer! 47-02 30th Ave., Astoria
Melrose Ballroom. “The world’s most spectacular sport will be show ‘Live’ at Melrose Ballroom. Free Viewing Event-Ladies Drink FREE-Guys 2X1-Contest-Giveaways & More!” They boast the largest LCD viewing screens in NYC. 36-08 33rd Street, Astoria
MexiBBQ. They will be showing all World Cup matches. 37-11 30th Ave., Astoria
Olde Prague. All World Cup games will be shown on their 80 inch HDTV. “Wear your team’s jersey/shirt get a free shot.” 28-48 31st St., Astoria
Opendoor. They’ll be showing all World Cup matches. “Come root for your team at opendoor on our big screen TVs at the bar!” 10-09 50th Ave, Long Island City
Raven’s Head. Showing all matches on their 13 screens, and the sound will be on. They’ll offer drink specials and promotions. 38-04 Broadway, Astoria
Republic. They will be showing all World Cup matches. 33-29 Astoria Blvd North, Astoria
Singlecut Beersmiths. “World Cup on our Tap Room projector all month long!” 19-33 37th Street, Astoria
Snowdonia. They’ll be opening early for World Cup matches. 34-55 32nd St., Astoria
Studio Square. Pete, one of the owners of Studio Square, expects 1,600 fans per match. For clarification of a detail that has been a bit confusing as far as a “cover” on World Cup days—“There will be a charge at the door with a corresponding bar value associated for all World Cup days.” On Thursday, it will be $10 and will cover your first beer. 35-33 36 St., Astoria
Sunswick. They will be showing all World Cup matches. 35-02 35th St., Astoria
Sweet Spot. We’ve watched them put up World Cup decorations for the past week. Enjoy the matches on their 43 HD TVs in “an amazing Soccer atmosphere.” Daily Specials and free giveaways. 22-72 31st St., Astoria
Veslo. They will be showing all the World Cup matches at their restaurant/bar. 32-11 Broadway, Astoria
The following places will no doubt have a large expat presence and will likely focus especially on the matches their home teams are involved in.
ALGERIA
Caffe Borbone. We love Eat the World’s description so much, we’re quoting him here:
Four years ago, New York City Algerian support packed into this tiny Italian cafe to follow all the games. This year you should expect nothing different. If you arrive late and can’t squeeze in, the whole block of Steinway should be buzzing. 25-07 Steinway St., Astoria
AUSTRALIA
The Thirsty Koala. Stop in here to watch matches between the Aussie team and whoever else they’re playing at the time. “Free T-shirts and bar specials!” 35-12 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria
BOSNIA
Old Bridge (Restoran Seher), 34-01 45th St., Astoria
Ukus, 42-08 30th Ave., Astoria
Cevabdzinica Sarajevo, 37-18 34th Ave., Astoria
Restoran Seher is the only Bosnian spot in town that serves alcohol, so expect that detail to increase the interest and attendance for those interested in cheering on the Bosnian team. Ukus, favorite of Judith’s for their delicious grilled meats, will no doubt have cevapi for the crowds. Cevabdzinica Sarajevo is my very favorite Bosnian restaurant in Astoria and they have delicious things in mind for the Bosnian matches, as per the NY Times:
She is preparing a meat patty (pljeskavica) named after Edin Dzeko, the 6-foot-4 striker nicknamed the Bosnian Diamond, who survived the war as a teenager and plays for Manchester City. There will be cevapi, the homemade sausages that Mr. Huskovic rolls himself, with the fresh bread they bake with ingredients imported from Bosnia.
BRAZIL
Beija Flor, 38-02 29th St., Long Island City
Pao de Queijo, 31-90 30th St., Astoria
Rio Market, 32-15 36th Ave., Astoria
None of these are sports bars or lounges, but they will be showing World Cup games to a very enthusiastic group of proud soccer fans. Beija Flor, new kid in the list, has a couple of TVs by the bar. Pao de Queijo offers no alocohol, but plenty of delicious food and enthusiasm for the game. Rio Market on 36th Avenue (the “Little Brazil” section of Astoria) has a TV or two in their little eatery up front for watching the tournament.
CROATIA
Rudar Soccer Club, 34-01 45th St., Astoria
Scorpio Bar, 35-15 Broadway, Astoria
Istria Sport Club, 28-09 Astoria Blvd., Astoria
At Rudar, you can watch both upstairs at the bar and downstairs at the restaurant, which serves authentic Croatian favorites. Scorpio Bar will no doubt be packed with the Croatian soccer faithful. The bar at Istria Sport Club is downstairs and that’s where the World Cup watching action is. As we’ve mentioned, the first match of the World Cup is today against Brazil, so the Croatian spots in town are going to be seriously hopping for that!
CHILE
San Antonio Bakery #2. Home to one of our favorite snacks in Astoria, the completo, stop by here to cheer on the Chilean team on the TV at this bakery/restaurant. 36-20 Astoria Blvd., Astoria
GREECE
Athens Cafe, 32-07 30th Ave. #1, Astoria
Omonia Cafe, 32-20 Broadway, Astoria
Titan Foods, 25-56 31st St., Astoria
Both Athens and Omonia will likely be major places to root for the team from Greece. Eat the World says “it will be tough to find a place once kickoff happens” at Omonia, which makes sense since it’s not the largest place ever. Athens is a very popular Greek cafe on the 30th Avenue strip and will likely be one of the best places to watch the World Cup. Via DNAinfo we’ve learned this: “The cafe has five TVs and will be serving appetizer specials that include cheese pies and spinach pies. They’ll also be serving Greek beers for $5 during every game.” Titan Foods will likely stick to showing just the games that involve the Greek team: “We are so excited that we decided to set up flat screen TV’s all around the store, so you won’t have to miss a second……even while you shop!”
Know of any other spots in town showing World Cup games? Let us know! We’d love to add any additional places to this list.
Related:
Watching the World’s Game, in the World’s City [NY Times]
The World Cup Takes New York [Roads & Kingdoms]
Eat the World Cup 2014 in New York City [Eat the World]
10 things non-soccer fans need to know about the World Cup [Vox]
[…] CLICK HERE FOR THE “WE HEART ASTORIA” LINK FOR Where to Watch the World Cup FINAL in Astoria and… […]
Hi.
Love the site.
Does anyone there have the scoop about the old Five Napkin Burger space? I ran by today and it looked like, based on the décor, that maybe a Latin themed restaurant was preparing to open. Any idea?
Thanks and keep up the good work.
Thanks for reading, Paul! We talked about the 5 Napkin site here:
https://weheartastoria.com/2014/06/chef-julian-medina-of-toloache-coming-to-astoria-queens/
We expect it will be a Queens outpost of Toloache.
Hi everyone! The Riverview Restaurant is also showing the World Cup, and is offering free shots to everyone at the bar after each goal. Well you know, everyone of legal age :-) https://www.facebook.com/RiverviewLIC/photos/a.467035300054497.1073741828.169322633159100/665071383584220/?type=1&theater
Stealth recommendation: The Bao Shoppe. Good for a quick drop-in visit. I was just there for lunch and they had the Mexico-Cameroun game on a very large high-def TV.
Great article on where to watch the games! I was just trying to figure it out when I came across this list and now I know where to go. Thanks!!
Last World Cup I caught the Mexico games at Viva El Mariachi on Broadway, which was a great time.
also, Bar 21 , I think now called BarN? They still have original pierogi but not listed on menu.
Love this list!
The Strand (which can hold a lot of people) is also going to be playing all games.
Also the Brazilian spot Carioca Grill will be playing the game on a 100″ screen.
Olde Prague Tavern is the home of The American Outlaws Queens chapter.
Thanks, Brian! We’ve updated the post with their entry and deals they’re having during World Cup.